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'Alexis will need a rest at some stage'

Alexis Sanchez
Alexis in action

Arsene Wenger says he will need to give Alexis Sanchez a week-long break at some point in the season.

The Chilean has already made 28 appearances for club and country this season but will be rested for Tuesday's Champions League game at Galatasaray.

Wenger is delighted with Alexis' form but does not want the player to suffer an injury as the result of his workload.

"I will have to give him a week break at some stage, yes," the manager said. "At the moment he looks like at some stage I have to give him a breather.

"You have to know when to rest him and when not but I think at the moment he plays at his peak on the edge"

"I did it with many players before who were a little bit playing every game. I did it with Henry, with Van Persie and it always helped them to get through without being injured.

"You have to know when to rest him and when not but I think at the moment he plays at his peak on the edge. He will not go to Turkey.

"When you have a player who wants to run, you don’t stop him. He has enthusiastic, he loves to play.

"He has quality [and] in the morning he comes in and he is fresh. I don’t know what he does overnight!"

The Arsenal manager is pleased with how Alexis has settled into the team.

"He’s a great guy," Wenger said. "He’s communicative. He’s integrating very well into the team spirit.

"He always says to me ‘speak English’. He understands it all, he does not yet [speak but] he is keen to learn.

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"He’s a guy who likes big games, and for me that is the most important thing in a big player. And it’s a kind of leadership on the pitch.

"He does not say out of the game ‘I want to do this, I want to do that’, but on the pitch he is a leader."